Sun Road plows bore through Big Drift

As the world waits for Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the Sun Road to completely open, the plow crews that work to that end methodically make their way through snow drifts measured in yards.

But the good news for those waiting for the highly anticipated day was that crews working from the west and east entrances met just east of the Logan Pass Visitor Center on Thursday.

While it doesn’t mean the Sun Road will open in the next few days for vehicle traffic, the end is in sight.

“We’ll be excited for people to be able to get up here and we’ll be happy to get it done,” said Stan Stahr, the Glacier’s road supervisor for the west side of the park.

Stahr has worked for the National Park Service for 25 years and he’s been involved with Sun Road plowing operations for nearly two decades.

“The first time I was in a dozer moving snow up here was very mind-opening for me,” Stahr said. “It’s an amazing road and I’ve loved working on it, but it can be a frustrating job at times.

“The avalanches take their toll, but as far as the people we work for, no complaints,” Stahr said. “You want to get it open as soon as possible, but there’s no one breathing down our necks about how long it takes. It can be dangerous work and safety comes first.”

John Lucke, Glacier’s facilities manager, said this spring’s weather has been a big help to road-clearing efforts.

“We couldn’t have asked for better weather and the avalanches were down before we came through,” Lucke said. “There were two on the west side and one on the east.”

Brian Paul, a rotary plow operator who’s worked on Sun Road for a decade, echoed those sentiments.

“We had a lot of snow to clear in the valley, but as we have went up in elevation, it’s been average,” Paul said.

Paul said the deepest drift they’ve encountered was about 40 feet.

When asked if he was most concerned about avalanches or rock falls, Paul, who was previously hit by a falling rock while on the job, said the rocks are much more unpredictable.

“They can happen at any time, you can’t predict them,” he said.

Paul said all the work clearing snow is uneasy.

“The snow will drift up to the inside of the road and then melt and be too soft to work on, so the outside edge is the only place where there is solid snow,” he said. “And when you are working on the outside edge, you’re only about 6 inches from the edge of the road.

“If you aren’t uneasy working up here, you probably shouldn’t be up here,” Paul added.

While enough snow has been cleared from the road to for bikers and hikers to traverse the entire road when crews aren’t working, there is still plenty to be done before the Park Service opens it.

Removable railings are still being installed.

“There are nearly 500 sections that have to be put in and each one of them has 18 bolts,” Stahr said.

The railings were the result of avalanches destroying permanent fixtures for so long. Every fall they come down, and every spring they go back up.

Last year, Sun Road opened June 28. Just seven years ago, the road didn’t open until July 13. According to the Park Service, it was the latest opening since World War II when the road opened July 10, 1943. And that was due to reduced staff.

Weather can still be a factor, too.

While this spring has been fairly warm, snow storms capable of several inches are still possible.

“What we do is very dependent on the weather,” Stahr said. “Mother Nature dictates a lot. When we got above the Loop, the snow was melting a foot a day.”

For road status updates, visit www.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm